A Stolen Sister
by yellowstar
Summary: When the twin sister Syd believes to be dead calls for help how can she refuse? But maybe she should have…
1. Chapter 1

A Sister Stolen

Disclaimer: I do not own the power rangers. YET.

Summary: When the twin sister Syd believes to be dead calls for help how can she refuse? But maybe she should have…

"Cadet Drew, have you changed your mind about qualifying to drive SPD vehicles?" Commander Cruger asked the pink ranger on their annual qualification day. Every skill had to be retested yearly to make sure they were still able and qualified to be rangers.

For the past three years Sydney had turned down the opportunity to test to drive the SPD vehicles. This time would be no different. "No sir." Syd replied quietly.

"Very well." Commander Cruger conceded as he walked away to test other cadets and rate their progress.

"Come on Syd, what if something happens and you have to drive?" Z argued with her roommate.

"I'll take the bus." Syd said stubbornly, hoping Z would get the hint and drop the subject.

"I'd pay to see you on a bus any day Syd." Jack teased at the thought of his sheltered teammate riding public transportation.

"Stop being stupid and just do it." Shouted an exasperated Sky. "Even Boom is qualified to drive the vehicles. What's the big deal?"

"The big deal is that I don't want to." Sydney shouted back at the blue ranger, not admitting the real reason was that she was afraid. Not just slightly afraid, totally petrified would be more like it.

"Real mature Sydney." Sky remarked in his condescending tone. The teasing had moved into serious bickering and Bridge was quick to stop it before things got out of hand.

"Alright. Lay off. Syd doesn't have to drive if she doesn't want to." The green ranger defended Syd as he came between the two rangers. He hated seeing his two best friends fight and lately that's all they have been doing. Ever since Sky had been betrayed by his friend Dru, he had been unpleasant to be around. Even Syd didn't want anything to do with him.

"Whatever." Sky mumbled as he turned away. "You don't know how to drive do you?" He wondered suddenly, turning back around to confront the pink princess. "Must be rough being chauffeured all the time." He continued to taunt Syd.

"Go to hell Schuyler!" Syd screamed as she shoved him out of the way so she could pass and ran out of the training area.

"Way to go Sky." Jack reprimanded his second in command. "You just had to push her buttons." The red ranger said disapprovingly as he left.

"Now who's being mature? What's your problem anyway?" Z commented with a look of disgust on her face.

"She didn't deserve that." Bridge agreed as he too left the sulking blue ranger by himself.

Sky gave no second thought to Syd or her feelings until he realized she was avoiding him. She didn't turn up for dinner or even movie night, one of Syd's favorite occasions. 'She must be really mad if she's not coming to a Matthew McConaughey movie.' Sky thought worried. 'I don't know why I said all those terrible things to her.' He admitted to himself. "It's not like Syd would hurt me like Dru did." He decided thoughtfully. He got so caught up in his thoughts he was almost late to his shift. "I'll have to find Syd later."

"Don't say you understand. You don't know what it's like to lose someone Sydney." Sky's words from two nights ago haunted her thoughts as she hid in her bedroom, too upset to attend the movie night. The others were probably wondering where she was but she didn't care. After the whole incident with Dru, Syd had attempted to comfort Sky but he was in no mood for it or her.

"You don't know Syd." She repeated to herself the phrase others had told her all of her life. She couldn't possibly understand anything about life because she was so happy and rich. "Apparently I've never had a problem in my life.' She remarked bitterly. "They're the ones who don't know.' Syd whispered sadly as she gazed at the picture she held in her hands.

Two blonde haired, blue-eyed girls taking their new jeep out for a drive immediately after receiving two driver's licenses. Syd recalled the angry argument she had with her sister that day, and the regret she lived with every day since then.

"_I passed first so I get to drive first." Sydney reminded her sister as her dad held the keys to their new vehicle. _

_"But I'm older and more responsible, so I should drive first." Taylor replied back. The elder twin by four minutes, Taylor rolled her eyes when their dad handed Syd the keys. She should have known it would turn out that way. Syd was Daddy's little girl, and Taylor was much more like their mom. With a sigh, she hopped in the passenger seat while Syd cheerfully bounced into the driver's seat._

"_Be careful you two." Kathryn Drew shouted from the driveway as Sydney pulled the customized pink jeep out into the street, snapping pictures of this milestone event. _

"_Have fun." Christopher Drew added as he waved goodbye to his two daughters, not knowing that would be the last time he would see one of them. _

_Syd had turned up the music to her favorite station and was singing along much to Taylor's dismay._

"_Turn it down!" Taylor shouted over the loud pop music blaring from the speakers. _

"_No! "Sydney shouted back at her usually uptight sister. "I don't even know how we're even related, let alone twins. We're nothing alike." Taylor was the president of the senior sophomore class and guard on the varsity basketball team. Meanwhile, Syd was captain of the cheerleading squad and leading candidate for Prom Queen. _

"_For once I agree. I'm the responsible one and I should be driving. Pull over." Taylor demanded in frustration._

"_No." Sydney refused again as she kept on driving and ignoring the pestering of her sister. _

**"**_**Syd!"** Taylor tried to get her attention urgently. The younger twin resisted the urge to look at her sister and responded with an angry shake of her head. _

**"**_**Syd! LOOK OUT!"** Taylor screamed as a tractor-trailer crossed the median and headed straight for their car. Sydney jerked the wheel in time to avoid a fatal head on collision with the truck. However, the driver of the truck over compensated for his carelessness and overturned his truck crashing into the back of the girls' new jeep. It rolled three or four times before coming to a grinding halt as it hit a tree on the side of the road. _

_Sydney didn't know what happened after as she woke in the hospital the next morning. She had suffered a terrible concussion and had broken her right arm and a few ribs, not to mention the numerous bruises that covered her petite body. But none of the physical injuries hurt as much as the realization that her sister had died. She had died instantly as the jeep crashed into the tree._

_Syd spent her junior year in high school being tutored at home. She couldn't bear to go to school and see her friends and not see Taylor. Even being at home was torture for the young girl. Though the twins had been close as kids, they had grown apart in their teen years; but they still had a relationship that most people envied. _

_Fearing for her mental well being, it was with great sadness that her parents sent her to the SPD academy in New Tech City. They hoped a new start would be what Sydney needed. It was a last resort, they didn't know what else to do. They had lost one daughter, and they didn't want to lose another. _

As the clock passed midnight, April 7th became April 8th. Today was Sydney's 20th birthday. What had been the happiest day of her life for sixteen years now only served a painful reminder of the day that her sister had died.

She heard footsteps approaching and quickly jumped under the covers and pretended to be asleep to avoid her roommate. She lay there quietly as Z got in her pajamas and brushed her teeth.

Syd regretted not going to Kat to get some sleeping pills but she hadn't wanted the extra attention that request would garner. The inevitable questions and looks of concern would be too much for the pink ranger to take. But now as she tossed and turned about in bed she wished she hadn't had so much pride. She could only hope and pray that the next day wouldn't be filled with battles.

Around 2 am found Sydney finally drifting off into a restless sleep, but not without the usual dreams that haunted her this time every year. Visions of a tractor trailer heading unavoidable towards her jeep, the sounds of her own screams and Taylor's, the funeral, but mostly images of her sister. Even four years later she could remember vividly what she and Taylor had been wearing.

_Knowing that she would be taking her driver's license picture later gave Syd a bit of anxiety as she tried to pick out the perfect outfit. Finally she chose her favorite pink halter-top and mini jean skirt and pink sandals. Taylor, the practical one had chosen her favorite pair of jeans and light pink polo shirt to go with her running shoes. Syd remembered teasing her sister's lack of fashion sense as they left for school that morning._

Syd would do anything to take that whole day back; she would even trade the rest of her birthdays to have her sister back.

She wasn't surprised at the return of the images; she had come to expect them every year on this day. As images of the accident faded, a new image appeared. It was blurry but the voice was unmistakable.

"**Syd."** Her sister's pleading voice made Sydney sit straight up. 'No way.' She thought with a shake of her blonde curls. She waited to see if the voice would return. She hoped it had been a distortion of her dreams. She had never heard her sister's voice before in her dreams.

"Help me." Taylor's voice returned, sounding as weak and scared as Syd had ever heard her.

"How?" The pink ranger questioned scared yet hopeful that she could help her twin. She had accepted her sister's death but something had never felt right. Every time she visited the gravesite, she couldn't feel the presence of the sister she had spent sixteen years playing with, fighting with, and sharing secrets with. She couldn't explain it to anyone, just attributed it to twin intuition. Though they had there great difference they were still loyal to each other. Syd and Taylor could always sense when the other twin needed them.

A vision of her sister standing on the cliffs overlooking New Tech City gave Sydney her first clue. Suddenly a sinister figure appeared behind her sister, the familiar villain chilling Syd to her core. **"Broodwing."** She whispered in shock even as she threw off the covers desperate to get to her sister.

"**SYDNEY**!" Taylor screamed in fright as Broodwing forced her away back to the caves.

"Hold on Tay!" Syd promised as she quickly exchanged her pajamas for a pair of jeans and her running shoes. She signed out at the front desk and was out the door.

"After I destroy everything the pink ranger cares about, I will destroy her!" The young villaness declared triumphantly. "Now we wait." She said excitedly waiting for her prey as the trap was set.

If Z hadn't been in such a hurry to get to breakfast she would have noticed the disarray on the pink ranger's side of their room. First off there was no pink ranger in her bed, which was unusual because Sydney Drew was usually the last one out of bed. Syd's comforter and sheets were thrown about as if she had left in a hurry. Peanuts, her beloved elephant was on the floor next to her favorite slippers. One of Syd's pet peeves was cold feet thus she never left the room without her slippers, at least whenever she had on her pajamas. Her shower bucket was still dry and still left hanging on the back of the door from the previous day.

The yellow ranger raced into the dining hall desperate for a quick breakfast and a much-needed cup of coffee before signing in for her morning shift. She had overslept the alarm and was racing around like a mad woman much to her male teammate's amusement and she was gone before they could say good morning.

"So have you thought about how you're going to apologize to Syd?" Bridge reminded his roommate as the three boys ate alone, a rare occurrence.

"I don't know why I snapped at her like that. It was uncalled for." Sky said regretfully, remembering his harsh words to his sensitive teammate. He could still see clearly the devastated look on her face before it changed to one of anger.

"Look, I know you're still upset about Dru," Jack admitted slowly; "But you better go find Syd and make things right before we have another battle." The red ranger advised the blue ranger.

"You're right." Sky agreed easily, not wanting the tension between him and Syd coming to a head during a battle. He picked up his tray and headed to the girls room for some serious begging for Syd's forgiveness.

What the blue ranger didn't know was that the pink ranger had signed out of SPD earlier that morning. Nor did he know that she wasn't back yet, even 6 hours later.


	2. Chapter 2

Syd tore out of SPD like a tornado. She teleported into the forest near the cliffs so she could come up with a plan to rescue her sister. 'I hope she's alright.' She thought worried. Then angry as she realized her sister had been alive the last four years and she

had never known.

"Hurry now, here she comes." The villaness hissed as the pink ranger came into view. Broodwing stood poised behind Taylor as he waited to put his plan into action.

"**TAYLOR!"** Syd shouted as she searched frantically for her missing sister. **"Syd!"** Taylor shouted back hysterically. "Hold on." Syd declared desperately as she came into the clearing and fearing the worst. 'I can't believe she's alive.' Syd thought in total amazement.

"I thought you were dead." Syd uttered quietly as she saw her twin for the first time in four years.

"You thought wrong." Broodwing taunted his enemy.

"Let her go!" Sydney cried fiercely as she stared down the rangers arch nemesis.

"Gladly." Broodwing agreed easily. "It's you I want Sydney." He announced with a smirk as he pushed Taylor away. Syd ran to her twin's side to protect her as she reached for her morpher.

"You won't be needing that." Sneered her twin grabbing the pink communicator out of Sydney's grasp even as she kicked her sister away. Syd grabbed her stomach, grimacing as she felt the shooting pain in her ribs.

"She's on my side now." Broodwing announced coldly.

The pink ranger looked up with tears in her eyes. "You set me up." Syd whispered in disbelief through her agony. The disbelief only increased as she saw the bitterness that was in the cornflower blue eyes staring back at her. "Why?" She managed to choke out as the damage to her ribs made it harder to breathe as she pulled herself up onto her knees to stare down the sister she had once loved and lost.

"You want the long version or the short one?" Taylor asked rhetorically as she paced the ground in front of Sydney. "For the sake of my evil plan, we'll go with the short version." She decided arrogantly. "You owe me Syd. You should have died in that accident not me." She shouted shocking the pink ranger.

"It was an accident Taylor." Syd pleaded with her sister, trying to get through to the part of her that must still be good, even as she struggled against Broodwing.

"Nonetheless, you will pay for the hell I've gone through. And when I'm done with you, you'll wish you had died in that accident." Taylor continued her ranting, her eyes flashing with an anger that scared Sydney.

"What evil plan?" Syd said trying to stall her sister from whatever trouble she was going to get herself into.

"Oh, you know the one where I destroy SPD and then I destroy you." Taylor remarked with a cold non-chalance that made Syd's blood run cold.

"You're not my sister." Spat the younger twin. "Taylor wouldn't hurt anyone, she's…" Syd was cut off by the emotional response of staring at the person who resembled her and her twin but was nowhere close to being the person she had once shared her life with.

" She was the kindest person I knew." Syd amended with tears in her eyes.

It was true as even after her death Taylor Drew had been voted 'Most likely to succeed' and 'Most Friendly" according to the yearbook. Syd hadn't been without honors as well as she was voted 'Most school spirit' and 'Best Dressed'. Not that she had cared at that point. She would gladly give up everything just to have her sister back.

"It's time princess." Broodwing interrupted to remind her with an evil smirk.

Taylor nodded as she slowly approached the struggling pink ranger. "Goodbye Syd." She whispered with an eerie quietness as she closed her eyes to channel her energy sending it out of her hands and surging through a helpless Syd.

Dark pink waves of energy buzzed through the air as they came into contact with the pink ranger's body. The intensity of it was so that it took her breath away as she felt her feet leave the ground and in slow motion found herself flying backwards.

"**AHHHH!"** Syd's screams echoed through the cave as she flew into the cave and landed unconscious on a pile of rocks. Broodwing and Taylor waited for the inevitable silence of a successful plan.

"Now to destroy SPD." Taylor said easily and without remorse much to her master's delight as she set off for New Tech City leaving Broodwing behind to keep guard over her sister.

The evil villain tied the unconscious ranger up using some old chains and left her in the back of the cave guarded by Krybots. "If she moves, you shoot her." He commanded as he left to keep watch over Taylor's progress from Grumm's fortress.

Meanwhile back at SPD headquarters, the rest of the ranger team as well as Dr. Manx and Commander Cruger were meeting to discuss new training techniques, unaware of the turmoil that was swirling about them.

"Where's Cadet Drew?" wondered Commander Cruger curiously. The other rangers were just as puzzled until Dr. Manx enlightened them. "Tom at the front desk said she logged out at O 2 hundred hours."

"2 am?" Sky said in disbelief. No one liked their sleep more than their pink ranger. He was flooded with guilt as he wondered if she had left because of his cruel words.

"Why would Syd need to leave at that hour?" Z said aloud, wondering how she could have missed the fact that she hadn't been in bed that morning when she left for her shift.

"Where would she go?" Jack added, struggling with the fact that Syd had just gotten up and left without a word to anyone.

"She'll be back soon." Bridge declared hopefully, not knowing that Syd was in serious danger or the wicked plan Broodwing was about to unleash on SPD.

In Syd's condition, she was not likely to return to SPD anytime soon. Besides the severe burns on her chest, abdomen, and arms; bruises covered her body and more than one bone was probably broken. In addition she was still unconscious from being blasted from her sister's energy beam.

Her shattered body still lay unmoving on the rocks where she had landed hours earlier, her blonde curls tinged slightly pink from the blood that had occurred from her collision with the ground, yet a troop of Krybots guarded the pink ranger's prison ready for when or if she woke up.

Copying Syd's look with a quick flick of her wrist and the magic Broodwing had given her, Taylor waited for the right moment to enter into the SPD academy. Once she entered, there would be no going back, no second chances at the destruction and revenge she desperately craved.

Since she had woken up in Grumm's fortress four years ago, she had been filled with anger and bitterness toward her sister. The first few months were filled with physical therapy to repair her lethal injuries. She had watched countless hours of video from the surveillance tape that Grumm had provided, not knowing how badly Syd had been hurt in the accident herself, only seeing her twin as the one who got to walk away. Broodwing and Grumm played on Taylor's insecurities as the lesser twin to get her to play the main character in their scheme against SPD. After that Broodwing had spent hours a day training Taylor for this moment of revenge. Fours year of work went into the next 36 hours.

Bridge was starting to lose his optimism about Syd, worry etching into his thoughts, when a weary pink ranger stumbled into the dining hall. "Syd." He shouted gladly, getting the other's attention at her return.

"Where have you been?" He demanded sternly yet losing none of his cheerfulness as he embraced the missing ranger.

"I just needed some time to think." She muttered into his chest as she tried to pull herself away from his enthusiasistic embrace. 'Green ranger, must be Bridge.' Taylor reminded herself as she forced herself into Sydney mode and offering a small smile to her teammates.

"Is everything ok?" Z Delgado asked with concern. 'Soon it will be once revenge is served.' Taylor thought even as she nodded at Z's question. "I'm going to rest." She informed them as she left as quickly as she had come.

Z cast a confused look at her male teammates as soon as Syd had departed. "I hope she's ok." She admitted slowly, not sure what to make of Syd's behavior.

"She's just tired." Bridge defended his oldest friend on the team. "She'll be back to cheery, bubbly Syd in no time." He decided confidently.

"Yeah…" Z agreed slowly, still thinking something was off, she just didn't know what. She had to take Bridge's word for it that Syd would be fine. Besides, none of the guys seemed too concerned, so she assumed she was just over reacting.

As the remaining four rangers relaxed in the common room, Taylor used her free time to get acquainted with the layout of the Academy. She had seen the floor plans but it was different when you were actually walking it. She had to be able to convince everyone that she was Sydney long enough for her plan to work. In less than 36 hours, SPD would cease to exist.

She was hoping to play off her exhaustion to avoid any conversations with the other rangers. As she walked past the workout room, she didn't see the person who just happened to be exiting at the same time.

"Huh." Syd moaned as she fell back after running into a hard chest. A strong arm reached out to steady her before she hit the ground. "Sorry Syd." The blue ranger apologized startling the pink ranger as she gazed up at the unexpected presence in the otherwise quiet halls.

"No problem." Sydney shrugged off the apology as she composed herself and pulled away from Sky, not noticing the hurt flash across his face at her quick dismissal of him.

Sky wasn't sure how to approach the usually friendly and open pink ranger. "Umm…" he started with a quiet mumble, afraid he had hurt her more than he had thought possible. "About the other night, I'm sorry for what I said. I was still upset with Dru and I took out my anger on you." He pleaded with her to forgive him. It was a rare occasion when Syd was angry, and he had never seen her angry with him. It was a disconcerting feeling to have the one person you actually could care for and are close to want nothing to do with you.

"I'm over it Sky." Taylor lied, hoping for a chance to escape. She didn't want to get involved in Syd's melodramatic life. 'Some things never change.' She thought bitterly. "And you should get over it too." She chided him a bit abruptly as she turned to leave the stunned blue ranger behind.

'Maybe Z was right, Syd is acting a bit strange…" Sky thought in bewilderment as he watched her walk away.

"God, why does everyone have to talk to me?" Taylor wondered irritably. Granted she had been the more introverted of the twins, but she had really had no idea how extroverted Sydney truly was. She headed to the bedroom hoping to find some solitude as she gathered her thoughts for the busy day ahead.

As one twin went to bed comfortable and easily, the other twin was coming out of a long, painful sleep.

One blue eye fluttered open and panic rose up within the pink ranger as she tried to recognize her surroundings. Her brain was foggy as she tried to force herself to acclimate herself to the strange situation. Sydney was aware enough to know that the situation was a dangerous one, as she felt her arms restricted from movement. Cold, hard metal weighed down her weary arms. 'So sore.' She whispered as her body protested every move she made. Both eyes open now she recognized the figures in the distance, despite the darkness. A chill went through her as she realized what was going on.

She was alone. Defenseless. Left for dead. And by her own sister nonetheless. Despite reasons for the contrary, Sydney was not about to give up. She remembered the vile plan Taylor and Broodwing were about to unleash on SPD and knew she must get her wits together and try to stop them, even though the odds were slim of her escaping past the Krybots in her condition to save SPD. But for her teammates and the citizens of Space Patrol Delta, she would try. Or die trying.


	3. Chapter 3

2 am

It had been twenty-four hours since she had been captured. Nobody knew she was missing so it was up to the injured pink ranger to save herself and the others.

Syd waited for what seemed like hours for the fogginess in her brain to subside. In reality, it had been just a few minutes, but the intense pain threatened to send her back into unconsciousness. With great determination, she forced herself to stay awake and waited for her vision to clear, and Syd set her mind to escaping.

She ignored the searing pain in her left arm to grab hold of the chains holding her. "Fist of Iron," she whispered softly, waiting for the tell tale sensation to travel down her arm to her hand where it would transform into the element she was holding. Using the strength of her fist she pulled the chains out of the wall, freeing her from prison, but not releasing her from the chains quite yet. She lashed out at the unsuspecting Krybots, knocking them over ruthlessly, and not stopping until they had been destroyed.

She almost passed out from the effort but knew she must press on so she wouldn't be caught. She dug down deep into her resource of strength to pull the chains apart to free herself. Syd reached down to her waist and was horrified to find her morpher missing. Events of the night before were still unclear in her mind, but the fact that she had no way of communicating with SPD or transporting herself back filled her with a sense of urgency as she strode purposefully and painfully into the forest.

She was desperate to get enough distance between her and her prison in case Broodwing came looking for her. Syd was counting on the fact that he was too busy keeping tabs on Taylor to be concerned with her. For all he knew, she was already dead.

Syd's instincts were correct. Broodwing nervously paced Grumm's fortress as he waited for the hours to count down until the destruction of SPD. He and Grumm had been planning this event for years, but had never been so close. Every monster they had created had ultimately failed them. But this time, they used Taylor's emotional connection to Sydney to destroy SPD.

He remembered the day Grumm had brought Taylor back to the fortress. He had stolen her body from where she had been laid to rest, only hours after the funeral.

"_Who is she?" Broodwing hissed to Grumm furiously. _

"_She will be our pawn of revenge against SPD." Grumm returned triumphantly as he laid the unmoving girl onto his regeneration machine. She would be the first to try out his new invention. _

"_She looks harmless." Broodwing complained in disbelief, staring down at the innocent face that Grumm had determined to be the new face of evil. "How is she going to defeat SPD when all others have failed?" He questioned skeptically. _

"_You may not recognize her now, but one day her twin sister will be the pink ranger of SPD." Confessed the arrogant Grumm. _

"_How do you know that?" Broodwing demanded curiously, but received no answer, only an arrogant glare that gave him pause from his demands. "How do you plan on turning her against her sister?" questioned the sidekick. _

" _Time will tell." Admitted Lord Grumm, "but we will retrain her step by step to do my will. She will forget all of her past life and only live to serve me and my kingdom." He acknowledged with a knowing smile as he began the process of reversing death. _

Taylor woke up early and set forth to do her first task of the day: capturing Commander Cruger. It would not be easy, but she was not one to be easily deterred from her goal. Once he was out of the way, the others would fall into place, paving the way for Taylor to destroy them and SPD. Out of respect for his abilities and strength, she conjured up her newfound magic and overpowered him quickly and quietly. She dragged the big blue dog through the still dark halls of SPD to the containment center where criminals were usually kept.

"Has anyone seen Commander Cruger?" Z wondered curiously as she sat down for the nine o'clock meeting. However the commander had yet to show up. And no one had seen him all morning, an extremely unusual occurrence.

"He should be here shortly." Kat informed her as she worked on her newest project. She too had no idea where their leader was. She hoped he was on his way.

"What about Syd?" Sky asked suddenly, noticing the pink ranger was strangely absent.

"Maybe she's with Cruger." Bridge commented with a laugh, not concerned at all that Syd wasn't there.

"She said she wasn't feeling well." Kat reported, without looking up from her work. "Jack, why don't you get started?" The scientist implored the leader of the B-Squad.

"Alright." Jack agreed, slightly unnerved by the absence of their commander. He cleared his throat to stall as he gathered his thoughts. "Today's agenda: Training Simulator at 11am, Obstacle course at 2 pm, and Manual review at 5pm." He read off the Commander's to do list.

"That should keep them plenty busy." Taylor decided with a smirk as she overheard their conversations. "They'll be too busy to look for Cruger." She whispered to herself, not surprised at the agenda, seeing as she had been the one who wrote it. "Besides, it won't be much longer till they find him; but by then it will be too late." Phase 1 of her plan was in motion and she had a lot left to do before midnight, so she left the rangers to their grumbling.

Three identical groans were made by the other rangers. "Great." Muttered Bridge, not looking forward to the day ahead. Though by the time the day was over, he would gladly trade it back for this strenuous agenda. Even the workaholic Sky was dreading the day's events.

"Don't blame me." Jack argued, putting his hands up to fend off his angry teammates, even as he understood their anger. He was not pleased with their assignments. He wondered what they had done to piss off the commander. On a bad day they might have had two of the three tasks, but never before all three had been required.

"If you think it's unfair, talk to the Commander." Kat advised them, trying to deflect their anger away from Jack.

"Maybe if we could find him." Z retorted in disgust, wishing she could pretend she was ill.

"Seriously, how hard could it be to find a big, blue dog?" Sky asked curiously. "It's not like Cruger to lie low like this." He remarked quietly, disturbed by his behavior. While Sky lamented over his problems with Sydney and their missing commander, he didn't notice the other rangers, including Kat and Boom had left him to his pressing thoughts.

Before she got too far away, Taylor saw the opportunity to grab the blue ranger. He was distracted and an easy prey. Noiselessly she crept up on the unsuspecting Sky and rendered him unconscious with a well-placed pressure on the nerve in his neck. Unaware of any danger, he immediately slumped over in the chair. Taylor quickly cloaked herself in a maintenance guise and covered the unmoving Sky with a sheet and wheeled him to the containment cell.

She was pleased to note that Commander Cruger had yet to awaken from her powerful spell she had cast and ruthlessly dumped Sky into the cell to join him. 'Two down.' She boasted cheerfully as she snuck away unnoticed as she pocketed Sky's communicator.

"Where is Sky?" Jack Landors questioned irritated. Granted no one of them actually wanted to complete the day's tasks, but it wasn't a choice nor was it like Sky to just not show up.

"What's going on?" Bridge asked warily. "Is it just me, or is something weird going on?"

"You're being paranoid Bridge." Z rebuked the green ranger. "There must be a logical reason for all of this." Z refused to panic, despite reasons to the contrary.

"Well, if we're two rangers down and Commander is missing, I say we have more important tasks at hand then the agenda." Jack decided firmly as leader. "Let's go find Kat." He declared as he set off for the lab, with the green and yellow rangers close behind.

"Kat, we need to talk…" Jack began as he pushed open the double doors of the laboratory. Despite all the lights being on, and her computer still running; Kat was nowhere to be found.

"Boom?" Z called out worry etching her voice. No answer as her voice echoed off the bare walls.

"It's like they just disappeared." Bridge observed as he noticed Kat's experiment still on the table.

"Yeah," Jack agreed disturbed at the scene before him. "It's not like Kat to be so careless with her work." He added as he too took in the disheveled scene around them. "Let's split up and find out what's going on. They've got to be around here somewhere." He commanded in frustration.

"Stupid rangers, splitting up you're no match for me." Taylor grinned with an evil glint in her eye. She was well on her way to destroying SPD. Soon there would be no one to stand in her way. Patiently she waited for the chance to snare another clueless ranger.

Actually, only one person could stop her and she was almost hopelessly lost in the woods, frantically trying to find her way back to SPD. She had spent the better part of the night, climbing over rocks and trees despite the protests of her weary and injured body. As the sun had come up she knew she was almost out, but she still had to come up with a plan to get into SPD and stop Taylor. Syd was exhausted but there was no time to rest as New Tech City came into view. Relieved just to have made it back, she set out to find the one person who might be able to help her.

"Piggy! Open up." Sydney demanded in a whisper. She was taking a big risk being out in public, but she was determined to succeed.

"Yeah… Hold on… I'm coming." Came an irritated groan deep from his trailer. The door slid open angrily at being disturbed. "Princess." He stated in surprise. "You don't look so good…" He observed honestly, taking in her unusually disheveled appearance.

"I need your help. Do you have any maps of SPD?" She cajoled, turning on her charm to try to get her way.

"Why? What for? Is this going to get me in trouble? It's not illegal to have maps you know." Piggy responded defensively.

"Chill Piggy." Said Syd as she raised her hands to calm down the angry pig. "Do you or don't you have any maps?" She asked again impatiently.

"Alright, I've got elevator maps, road maps, evacuation maps, building maps, ventilation maps…" He listed off the types as he searched his shelves of disarray.

"That's it. The ventilation maps." Sydney interrupted suddenly as a plan came to mind. Piggy offered the needed map and Syd headed to the library to create her strategy.

"Jack to Sky. Over." The red ranger tried countless times to get in touch with Sky but to no avail. He was getting frustrated with their attempts to find Cruger, Kat, and Sky. Taylor smiled to herself as she heard his voice over the confiscated communicator in her pocket. Using Sky's device, she noticed that the red ranger was close by. A surprise attack and he would be no match for her.

Jack headed back to the common room to rendezvous with Bridge and Z. He had spent the last hour searching for his missing comrades and was ready to declare a state of emergency within SPD. Unfortunately Taylor had other plans and as he turned the corner, an on target punch to the kidney had him keeling over. He was in too much pain to notice his attacker; the only thing he noticed was the sharp prick in his neck that caused a wave of dizziness to overwhelm him.

Laughing to herself, Taylor continued her charade as Syd and deposited Jack into the cell with his missing teammates. For safe measure, she added an extra layer of sleep potion to keep them out of play.

"What time did Jack say to meet back?" Bridge asked Z for the 10th time in the last three minutes.

"Relax Bridge, maybe he found something out and that's why he's late." Z responded coolly as she reclined on the couch in the common room.

"Why didn't he contact us then?" Bridge continued to barrage her with questions. "What if he went missing too?" He said the unspeakable aloud.

His statement made the yellow ranger sit up in dismay. "We need to be on our guard." Z warned him as she made an effort to contact Jack. "Z to Jack. Over." She said over the communicator. She waited 10 seconds with no response and tried again. Still no response. "This is weird." She conceded, finally admitting that something was amiss.

"Oh my God, Syd." Z realized with a start that in all the commotion of the morning, no one had checked on the pink ranger. She raced out the door, hoping to find their teammate still in her room, resting from her illness.


	4. Chapter 4

Stolen 4

11 am

Even as Z and Bridge rushed to her aid, the real Syd hid out in the most secluded corner of the old library pouring over the ventilation maps to find the easiest route to the Command Center and shutting down whatever plan Taylor had in place.

Using the one functional computer, Syd hacked into the main frame of SPD and uploaded the security feed to catch a glimpse of what was going on inside of SPD. She was looking for any clues that would help her.

She programmed the search engine to find the frequencies of their communicators to pin point their locations. Waiting impatiently, Syd was surprised when she saw that Cruger, Sky, Jack as well as Kat and Boom were all in the command center. Suspiciously she brought up the actual video feed and was confused when there was no one physically there.

A small box caught her eye and she zoomed in. "The morphers must be in that box." Syd realized with sudden insight. "So where is everyone?" She wondered in puzzlement. She reset the search engine to find the physical being of Sky Tate. Video of rooms flashed by devoid of Sky, before reaching his exact location.

Syd gasped when she saw that Sky was not alone, nor was he moving. In the old containment wing of SPD were the motionless bodies of Commander Cruger, Sky, Jack, Kat and Boom. Time was slipping away from her and the window of opportunity to stop Taylor before she destroyed everything Syd had worked for and cared about.

She forced back the tears at the depth of evil that resided in her twin sister. 'You will pay Grumm.' Syd vowed with a fierce vengeance as she sought to thwart his plan. But her thirst for revenge would not be quenched until he was personally and physically destroyed. She would spend every day of her life until justice was served for what he had done to her sister.

"Syd!" Z shouted as she raced through the hallways back to her and Syd's bedroom. In her condition, she would be no match for whatever was responsible for the missing rangers. The yellow ranger had left the green ranger in the dust, not noticing that he had never caught up.

In fact by the time Z reached her door, Bridge was already unconscious, having been knocked out by a piercing laser from Taylor's arsenal of weapons. She knew it would be difficult to subdue the green ranger, and hadn't wanted to chance him realizing she wasn't Syd. While she dragged Bridge to join the rest of his comrades in captivity, she activated the lock on the girl's bedroom door, trapping Z inside until she could go back for her.

"One to go." Taylor said triumphantly as she pursued her last target. And with Z locked in the bedroom, it would be an easy score and she could focus on the actual setting up and activating the bombs that would take down the Almighty SPD academy.

Instead of using magic, Taylor chose to engage in one-to-one combat, wanting to relish the feeling of destruction and torment.

"Syd!" Z called out anxiously as the door opened, and the blonde haired girl walked in much to the yellow ranger's relief. Rambling on in what was usually Bridge's manner, Z continued, "Thank God you're ok, It's just you, me, and Bridge left. The others have just disappeared."

"Really?" Syd said disinterested as she pretending to study herself in the mirror, but really checking out Z and her reaction to her nonchalant comment.

"Syd?" Z wondered if she was still not feeling well. It wasn't like Syd to be so cold. Some might call her a bit selfish, but she was the most compassionate person Z had ever met.

Taylor was tired of pretending to be her beloved sister Syd. Angrily she shouted, "I'm not Syd." turning quickly and pointing a gun in the shocked Hispanic girl's face. Z didn't give her the satisfaction of begging or looking weak; it simply wasn't Z's style. If this girl wanted a fight, she would get a fight. 'But where was the real Syd?' She wondered curiously and with great concern for her roommate. If she could just hold her off until Bridge came…

"I wouldn't be waiting for the green ranger to come save you." Taylor hissed as she dropped the guise of Syd, appearing instead in a tight black jumpsuit, her blonde hair streaked with gray and dark makeup.

"Where is he?" Z asked with a furious calm, barely keeping her anger in check.

"He's with the others, but don't worry you'll see him soon." Taylor swore with an wicked grin as she moved closer to the cornered Z. Quick as a flash, before Z could make her move, Taylor brought down the barrel of the gun across her temple, knocking her down for the count, just like the rest.

She gazed upon the collection of communicators she had collected, pleased at her results. Her revenge against Syd almost complete, Taylor began the task of shutting down SPD forever.

Sydney fought back exhaustion as her eyes threatened to shut after 36 hours of little sleep. Not only did she not have time to sleep, but also there was a great chance she had a concussion and sleeping would only cause her greater pain. Desperate she turned to the only alternative available, the bitter taste of coffee would have to get her through until this ordeal was over and she could rest. Syd realized though, that after the adrenaline wore off from this encounter she would be forced to face the nightmares of losing her sister twice in a lifetime.

An unfamiliar weight on his body coaxed a lightheaded blue ranger to try to shake off his sleepiness." What the hell?" Schuyler Tate mumbled as he realized the weight was a combination of Jack and Bridge on top of his aching body. With an inpatient, almost angry push he shoved his teammates off to try to determine their location.

He blinked his eyes furiously as he took in their location. The seven of them had been locked in an enclosed, isolated place. 'The containment cells.' Sky realized in alarm. He hurried to wake the six other occupants out of their sleep.

'Six?' Sky thought confused. 'There should be seven." A quick glance around confirmed the number. 'Syd!' He determined was missing; worry making its way into his heart for his missing teammate. He knew she could handle herself, but judging by the predicament the rest of them were in, she would need their help. He only prayed it wouldn't be too late. He couldn't dwell on the implications of his personal thoughts towards Syd now; he had to focus all his energy on finding a way out of their prison.

Before he had to shake his friends back into consciousness, the others started to stir.

"What's going on?" Jack demanded as he quickly returned to an alert state.

"Where are we?" Boom asked a bit fearfully.

"How did we get here?" Commander Cruger wondered, having no recollection of the last few hours.

"My head is throbbing." Complained an irritated Z as she kept her eyes closed to the bright lights.

"We're trapped in the old containment cells in the south wing of SPD, Syd's missing, I don't know how we got here, and we all are hurt." Sky announced, answering all their questions at once.

As afternoon turned into early evening, Syd methodically mapped out her plan. She had no room for error. She had to wait until Taylor left SPD to make her move. She prayed Taylor would leave her enough time to accomplish what needed to be done in order to save SPD. And if she didn't succeed, at least this time she wouldn't be left behind.

It had taken Syd close to two years to be able to move on after her sister's death, though she never truly healed. There were still nightmares of the accident and the painful, undeniable truth that life as she had known it had been forever altered. Syd shuddered to think what would happen to her if she lost SPD and her teammates.

Though she had resented Z at first, it wasn't because she was better than her as everyone else had thought, it was because she had had a sister and lost her. Her tender heart couldn't deal with losing someone else, so she had put up a wall to protect herself.

However, the friendly, warm side of Sydney couldn't be held back for long. She soon became close to Z and Jack had become the older brother she had never had but longed for. Bridge was her best friend, but Syd knew if he found out her secret he would feel betrayed that she never told him. She had to pretend everyday that she was as happy as she was so he would never suspect a thing.

She had done a great job at pretending; judging by Sky's words a few weeks prior. He had told her that she didn't know what it felt to lose someone. It broke Syd's heart to keep her pain inside and be selfish, when if she had told Sky the truth maybe she could have comforted him better. She was his closest friend, and she hadn't been able to get through to him that it wasn't his fault that Dru had turned to the dark side.

'Just as it's not your fault that Taylor died, or turned into one of Grumm's villains.' Her mind scolded her gently. Syd sighed; it was not time for regrets. Now was a time for action.

Please Review! I am trying to finish all my unfinished stories by the end of summer. If you haven't read, "I need you", I just completed it. It's an Ashley/Andros story.


	5. Chapter 5

Stolen Sister 5

Author's Note: I am ready to make a comeback to fan fiction, so hopefully somebody will be reading! Thanks!

With SPD in lock down mode, a determined Sydney had to find a way into the building. In her condition she wasn't ready to fight Taylor if she was caught, and she wasn't taking any chances while the others were in the building still either. Vaguely she remembered that the ventilation maps she had studied had entrances in the garage, where the SPD vehicles were kept. Since it was a separate building from the academy, Syd knew she would be able to get into it without alerting Taylor.

She crept through the early morning shadows undetected, forcing herself to remain calm and conserve her energy. She checked her watch and knew that despite her injuries she would have to move quickly. In less than a half an hour the SPD academy would be gone if she didn't stop her sister's evil plan.

She grimaced as she forced herself up the ladder, and unscrewed the vent from the wall and reluctantly crawled in. It was a small tunnel, covered with dust and incredibly cold. She alternated from crawling on her stomach with scooting on her back to give her arms a break.

Sydney wanted to throw up from the pain. But her discomfort would just have to wait as the fate of SPD rested literally in her hands. She would have to rely on three years of training to get her through the hardest trial of her career. Crawling through the tiny dusty vents had taken much longer than Syd had anticipated because of her injuries. Every movement was painful, the burns on her skin rubbing against the cold dirty floor. Sydney didn't care about being dirty for once but she was afraid of infection setting in. Her right arm was pretty much useless, and lack of sleep and a probable concussion made it hard to focus. She took her time, taking breaks often to close her eyes, hoping to relieve some of the pain. Undaunted she continued, knowing there was not much time left. Syd had managed to escape death once already and having escaped from the cave and walking back to SPD she wasn't about to be stopped now.

Finally she reached her destination, the command center. Determined, she kicked the vent door out and gingerly pulled herself down to the floor. Her blue eyes darted around the room trying to find the bomb. Attached to the main computer of SPD was a tiny black box, a red light glaring from it in the dark room as it counted down.

Three minutes blinked furiously on the detonation device in the command center. It would take twice that time just to get to the others. A sudden nudge against her leg filled the pink ranger with hope. RIC, their loyal robotic canine could reach the others while she disarmed the bomb. Quickly she programmed the dog with the coordinates of the old containment cells and placed the box of morphers into his mouth, even as more time ticked off the clock.

The group of trapped rangers huddled together for what they were sure was their last moments alive.

"There's gotta be something we can do." Bridge moaned helplessly, "We can't just sit here." He was pacing around the small cell anxiously.

"No one knows we're here." Commander Cruger answered the green ranger's question. "The rest of SPD could be destroyed by now." He stated pessimistically. He could not offer his team false hope; the truth was that unless there was a miracle their days were numbered.

Jack and Z sat huddled together, each offering a semblance of calm to one another during this most helpless time. Sky sat apart from the group guilt eating him even as he wondered about Sydney being alone. At least they were together and were relatively unharmed. He didn't know what condition they might find Sydney in, if they found her at all. He didn't want to think about that.

"Why didn't she just kill us when she had the chance?" Sky spoke aloud, breaking the tense silence.

Jack looked over at his teammate. "You're trying to rationalize what a demented criminal was thinking?" He scoffed in disbelief. "What's the point?" He muttered, having accepted his fate and leaning back against the wall.

"The point is, I don't think this attack was about SPD. I think it was about Syd." Sky replied. "Someone wanted to make her pay, to see her suffer."

"Why?" Z asked thoughtfully. "Who would want to hurt Syd?" The yellow ranger said being the voice of reason as usual.

Bridge joined in the conversation. "We know she was captured Friday night after she logged out from SPD…"he recalled

"But who would have known she was leaving?" Kat wondered. "We didn't know." Now Z was interested in this conversation. Maybe Sky was right. Even Jack had to agree that something didn't make sense.

"Red, blue, yellow…" she muttered as she recalled the detonation procedure from the SPD manual. "Green and black." She cut the wires carefully with her left hand, and over rode the self destruct mode Taylor had installed as the numbers on the bomb slowed to a stop. Relief flooded Syd briefly before springing back into action. She had to get to the garage before the others found her. If they saw her in her condition, she would not be allowed to pursue her sister, and she didn't feel like explaining that fact to them just quite yet.

Sydney shook off her fear of driving and grabbed the keys to Sky's motorcycle. Luckily it was so technologically advanced it could almost drive itself, since she had never driven a motorcycle before. As she jammed a helmet on her head, she grimaced as the pressure increased on her head wounds. She faltered a minute, pausing to catch her breath. Nevertheless she had one thing on her mind; she had to save her sister. Somehow she had to convince her that she was not evil and break the spell Broodwing had put on her.

The motorcycle roared to life and sped away from the garage as she held on tight following the windy road up the mountain. She pulled off the road and walked the rest of the way to where Broodwing and Taylor were waiting to celebrate.

She stood out of sight as the deadline came and passed and SPD was still standing. Broodwing turned his angry eyes onto the evil princess next to him.

"Disappointed?" Sydney made herself known, startling her two enemies. "How did you get out of that cave?" Broodwing asked extremely pissed off that his plan was unraveling around him. Lord Grumm would make him pay for his failure he was sure of it.

"You ruin everything!" Taylor screamed as she threw herself at Sydney taking down the injured and exhausted girl. The two girls grabbled on the ground until Taylor managed to land a blow to Syd's head; leaving her more dazed and disoriented. The black clad girl stood up and smirked at her opponent. "I may not have destroyed SPD, but I will destroy you!" She shouted angrily as she began another attack on the defenseless girl, kicking her in the side until bloodied.

Sydney could feel her already bruised ribs breaking, as the painful cracking sounds echoed in the quietness of the cliffs. Her brain rushed to keep herself alive long enough for her teammates to arrive. Though she knew that they couldn't help her unless she was incapicitated. But she also knew that Commander Cruger and her teammates wouldn't leave her there to die.

The Academy was like a ghost town, lights off and empty of all human or alien beings as the seven made their way to the command center. Kat wanted to give them all a thorough examination but finding Sydney was a greater priority and the group not so politely refused her offer. They noticed the disarmed bomb but no evidence to show who might have done it.

"Where is she?" demanded Z worried. "She doesn't have her morpher so we can't locate her that way." Bridge declared nervously as he opened the box that contained their own morphers.

"But her morpher isn't here so if we track her morpher we'll find her anyway." Jack suggested as they strapped on their own morphers. Commander Cruger quickly typed in a computer search for Syd's morpher. When the location appeared on the screen, he was glad to know she wasn't too far away, and the group headed to the garage and headed up to the cliffs overlooking New Tech City.

He had been surprised when he had been alerted to the identity of the fake Sydney. He remembered the circumstances surrounding her admittance into the academy and his heart broke for his pink ranger. In his entire career at SPD, he had never faced a situation like this before. He didn't relish the fact that he would have to tell his team that they couldn't help their teammate.

"Sydney." Jack shouted as he jumped out of the jeep before Sky had even parked it. Z, Bridge, and Sky were not too far behind as they raced to find their teammate.

"No." Ordered Commander Cruger abruptly, halting the four in their tracks at his statement. "You stay here unless I call. That's an order." He demanded roughly, leaving without waiting for a response or the mandatory salute.

Z, Bridge, and Sky were shocked and were ready to disobey the Commander's orders until Jack stepped in. Jack disagreed vehemently, but as leader reluctantly obeyed and directed the rest of the team away from the battle. He understood their confusion but he trusted Commander Cruger to know what to do. The four rangers stood together, impatient for word on Sydney, and ready for action.

The Commander watched his smallest ranger battle valiantly against her opponent, who was not as injured or exhausted as his pink ranger. As much as he wanted to go in and save her, or let her teammates go and defend her he knew he couldn't. This would be one battle Sydney would have to win on her own. He didn't consider the one possibility that would enable him to override the manual. If it appeared that she was gravely injured and unable to defend herself, he the highest ranking officer on the scene would be permitted to engage in battle without consequence. Knowing Sydney's determination and fighting ability, he hoped it wouldn't come to that.

He watched helplessly as the pink ranger whom he had come to care for a great deal was engaged in an intense battle. He feared he would have to step in, but would Sydney ever forgive him for doing so? Could he forgive himself if it came to that?

When Commander Cruger ordered the team to stay back they had all been confused until Sky, who had memorized the SPD manual, brought up an obsolete rule that had clarified the situation.

Sky's voice stopped them from going against Cruger's orders. "Rule 22-C, "When engaging in battle between good and evil, where two people of blood relation are pitted against one another, the team shall stand down unless called upon by the commander or highest ranking officer at the scene. " He finished reluctantly. The sudden awareness of the situation came as a painful realization to the blue ranger.

"So that girl is somehow related to Syd?" Z asked in confusion. "Syd never mentioned her."

"So Grumm didn't create her?" Jack inquired puzzled. "No, he must have turned her evil." Sky declared unbelievingly.

"Did Syd know?" Z wondered if such a thought was possible. The battle was being waged in front of them and the four were unable to move or close their eyes at the sight of their battered teammate still fighting after all she had been through. They weren't close enough to hear though and their questions were still unanswered.

"What did he tell you?" She demanded her voice hoarse from exhaustion. "I have never forgotten that day, every night I have nightmares and wish it was just a terrible dream, but every day I wake up and I realize it's not. You're never coming back, and I have to live with that." Tears burned the cuts on her face as they made their way down her cheeks onto her dirty shirt. She didn't have the energy to brush them away.

"At least you got to live." Spat Taylor angrily. "But not for long." She amended quickly, taking advantage of a weakened and powerless Syd; tossing her to the ground with a vicious force. "And when you die, don't think I'll spend any minutes thinking about you at all."She threatened as she delivered a brutal kick into the pink ranger's side, causing Syd to bite back a scream as she clutched her already bruised and probably broken ribs.

But Sydney wasn't defeated yet. Taylor confident that her opponent was beaten relaxed briefly, giving Sydney an opportunity to attack. Possibly her last opportunity. In the fight to survive, Sydney accepted that the Taylor who she was battling was not the sister she had loved and lost. Digging deep for strength she didn't know she had, Syd grabbed Taylor's leg and threw her to the ground, giving her time to struggle to her feet.

Stunned, Taylor now looked up at the pink ranger furiously. Sydney gathered a quick yet painful breath as Taylor slowly stood up ready to continue the fight. Sydney knew she had to end this now or face certain death. She grabbed the locket off her sister's neck and shouted "fist of gold!" Her battered right arm transformed and with a final surge of energy, she pushed the dark princess off balance and tumbling over the cliff.

"**I HATE YOU!"** Screamed Taylor as she fell to a painful and final death on the rocks below. She found herself watching her sister's body tumble through the air, she had to know that it was over. She knelt by the side of the cliff and allowed herself to relax knowing she was alive, yet grieve for losing her sister once again. Broodwing having failed to defeat the rangers once again, quietly disappeared.

**"NO!!!!!"** Sydney's screams echoed through the cliffs and back to the other rangers who were waiting helplessly as Syd fought off Taylor. Z flinched at the heart wrenching sound coming from her roommate, instinctively moving closer to Bridge, who was also overwhelmed by the pink ranger's cries.

Sky, the steadfast blue ranger remained unmoving as he stood apart from the others, devastated for the closest friend he had on the team. 'Closest friend.' He muttered darkly, 'I know nothing about Sydney.' He realized angrily, the anger masking the guilt he felt. Tears threatened to fall from his blue eyes, but he didn't care if anyone or everyone saw them.

A frustrated Jack Landors watched over his team, wishing he could go back in time and change the events that had just taken place. He knew, without actually knowing, that today would change everything for all of them, Sydney in particular.

There was no victory in this battle.

Darkness covered the cliffs but not the memories of the intense battle that had been fought. Numb to both the physical and emotional pain, she reluctantly and slowly stood to her feet. Adrenaline fading she limped past her teammates and commander. Shame, guilt, and pain were evident in her blue eyes even as she evaded eye contact.

Z was horrified by Syd's appearance. Her blonde hair was in a messy ponytail, tinged pink with blood from the numerous cuts on her face. Her t-shirt and jeans were dirty and blood stained evidence of the battle she had faced. A black eye and busted lip made her look more fragile than usual, not to mention the cuts that would inevitably need stitches.

Bridge noticed the dark circles under her eyes that told of exhaustion and the red puffy eyes that told of the tears of her pain. He felt his heart breaking at the sight of his friend. Too many emotions to even comprehend.

Not that he didn't notice her appearance, but what struck Jack the most was her eyes. Instead of their usual twinkle, there was a hardness and a pain that erased all of his first impressions of the SPD "princess". He wondered how she could have a kept a secret so deep and painful for all this time without them knowing.

Sky winced as she approached, her right arm hanging limply at her side, her struggle to catch her breath even as the movement of walking seemed to drain her. Her collapse seemed inevitable so he moved forward to catch her, to offer her some modicum of comfort. But she walked right past them, not making eye contact, not saying a word.

Her bruised and battered body struggled with every movement, and Syd was glad when Sky's bike came into view. Without a word she walked past, she couldn't take their questions or their pity. Before they could stop her, or even realized what she was doing, a sudden roar of a motorcycle crashed through the rangers' consciousness as the petite blonde took off in a sudden burst of speed.

As he watched her disappear, Sky realized how wrong he had been a few days ago when he had accused Syd of not knowing how to drive. He was perplexed at the cause of her unwillingness to drive.

Commander Cruger was the first to leave, the other rangers following right behind him; the group silent all the way back to SPD.

Kat noticed the rangers pacing about outside the window. They were anxiously waiting for an update on the pink ranger's condition. Sydney had been adamant that no one be admitted in the medical center when she arrived. Kat fought to keep her composure as she examined the young girl under her care. She forced herself into her professional mode as she saw the damage caused to Syd's body, amazed that Syd had survived, let alone won the battle and more amazed that she walked away on her own will power and drove back to SPD.

The injured girl was asleep when Kat finally left to give the team the update. It had taken 2 hours for her to finally tend to all of Syd's injuries, and only the physical ones at that. The emotional injuries would take far longer to heal, if ever.

"How is she?" demanded Sky as he jumped to his feet from the couch where he, Jack, Bridge, and Z had been sitting together, four on a couch, the need to comfort each other more important than their actual comfort.

"It could be better." Kat admitted slowly. "I don't know how she did it, because her body is completely shut down right now." Z stood next to Bridge to offer support as much as receive it. Bridge was Syd's closest friend, and because of the powers he had, all these emotions were wrecking havoc with him as well.

Kat put up the recently taken x-rays for the others to see. "Her right arm is broken in three places, "she said as Sky saw that the breaks were not simple fractures. She has some displaced vertebrate in her back and neck which will require therapy to strengthen and move them back into alignment; Kat continued explaining the contraption on Syd's neck to keep her from moving in her sleep.

The feline doctor continued her analysis, "Her left fibula is broken, she has three broken ribs, and a major concussion. Not to mention being dehydrated and malnourished."

"Is she going to make it?" questioned Bridge worried. He had never seen anyone look so injured before, not even when Icthior sent three of the rangers plus Commander Cruger into the medical center.

"She's fighting… She has a fever which means her body is working to heal itself. Along with her ranger powers, this regenerator should speed up her healing but it won't be easy. It will be a long process with therapy and counseling." She warned them. "Right now she is sedated so she can rest and her body doesn't have to work so hard."

"How did she get those burns?" Jack asked after the update was finished, interrupting the stunned silence of the group.

"I don't know." She admitted sheepishly. "I guess there are some things we won't know until Syd wakes up." She wished she had more answers for them, but tried to give them reasons to be optimistic.

"If she wakes up," Growled a tired and frustrated Sky, who quickly left the room. "You all need to get some sleep. I'll let you know if anything changes with Sydney." Commander Cruger ordered his team to rest.


End file.
